How to make Mango Milkshake - A healthy yummy summer drink

Summer is rampant in India now and what better to quench your thirst with a big glass of milkshake and if it is with ripe Mango then it brings heavenly feelings. And hold on – Mango in summer is very good for health too – it is full of antioxidants and vitamins which nourishes your body and reduces the chance of cancer. Its rich fiber contents help digestion and constipation. A list of benefits can be found here - https://guardian.ng/life/wellness/10-health-benefits-of-mangoes/ . There are many recipes of mango milkshake but here I am presenting one of the simplest and quickest one with some tips to make it more interesting.

The most important part of making this drinks is to get the mangoes that are right for this preparation. We need ripe and sweet mangoes which have a soft pulp for this drinks. When we prepare something with mangoes the name Alphonso comes to mind but it is very costly and the availability is very short. What most of us do not know is that Badami is another variety of Alphonso which is as good in taste. Actually the sweetest mangoes in India are Chausa from Himachal Pradesh and Langra from West Bengal. Any sweet mango can be used for this recipe.

Preparation Time: - 5 min

Cooking Time: - 5 min

Servings: - 1~2 persons

Ingredients:- 

1. 2 medium sized Mangoes (approx. 1 ½ cups or 300 gm. Mango cubes)
2. ½ cup cold boiled Milk
3. 2 tbsp Sugar or as per your taste.
4. 2 tbsp Honey (optional)
5. 2 whole green Cardamom / elaichi pods (optional)
6. 1 tsp smashed Cashew nut (optional)
7. Few strands of Saffron ( Kesar ) for enhancing the taste (optional)
8. Few Pistachios or Almond for garnishing
9. 3 ~4 ice cubes (optional)

Preparation:-

1. Boil the milk and cool it. You can use pasteurized milk which is available in tetra pack without boiling.
2. Remove the green husk of cardamom and crush it along with the cashew nuts in a pestle and mortar. Strike the seeds hard to make a fine powder and keep aside.
3. Wash and peel the mangoes. Discard the stone and chop the juicy flesh into small cubes.
4. Transfer the mango pieces to a blender and pour the milk. Add sugar, honey, cardamom and cashew nuts.
5. Blend all of them until smooth and creamy. There should not be any pulp left. You can use a strainer for this purpose also.
6. Refrigerate or add the ice cubes.
7. Sprinkle the strands of saffron and add pistachios /almond for garnishing.

Your delicious and healthy mango drinks is ready to quench your thirst and satisfy your taste buds.

Tips: - 1. If you want to make the milkshake thicker then you should refrigerate the mango pulp in refrigerator for 15 minutes and do not use ice cubes.

            2. You can add more milk if you want the shake to be thin or more liquid.

            3. Top it up with one or two scoops of Vanilla ice-cream for mango shake with ice-cream experience.

            4. Use mangoes with less fiber and more flavor to enhance the taste and smooth shake.

            5. You can use readymade mango pulps if fresh mangoes are not available. This way you can enjoy this drinks even in other seasons.

            6. If you want to omit dairy product to make this shake a vegan recipe you can use any of the coconut or almond milk.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.